IN ENGLISHI noticed last summer that one big Hedge bedstraw (Galium mollugo) was growing in my flowerbed, as a weed, it had propably been there already the year before. Last week-end I dug it up, and divided it. I planted part of it in my madder bed to grow for couple of years, and washed the roots of the rest of the plant. After washing you could see how red the oldest part of the roots were, all the young roots were yellowish orange.I let the roots dry for couple of days and then cut them to small pieces, not very easy, as the roots were quite hard. Even this small amount made my fingers ache, I can't imagine cutting kilos of the roots like this, like they must have done it in medieval and viking times.I got 40grams of almost dry roots from this one plant, and now the pieces are soaking in water.I also had dry roots from one plant lifted up last summer, they are also now soaking. This is going to be a little experiment, more about it later when it is finished:)

6 comments:

I've been growing some of our native bedstraw, Galium boreale, to try dying with eventually. (Right now it's only a patch of around 10 centimeters diameter.) I'm looking forward to hearing more about how your Galium-dyeing experiments turn out!

I have planned to move some Galium boreale also to my bed, but I will have to wait longer so that I am able to recognize it, I know I have it growing wild here. I think that species is most often referred as a good dyeplant, but also G.mollugo should give red (or orange)

Hi Helene.Cardon's book says that almost all Galium species contain the same dyestuffs.I don't know yet the ratio, but I will try first with same amount of dry roots as yarn, and if that gives too pale shade, then I need to use more.

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WHY USE NATURAL DYES

"We can keep the knowledge of their use alive, as well as regaining for ourselves a vital contact with the natural world. The ability to correctly identify the plants needed, to understand their growth stages sufficiently well to be able to obtain the greatest dye, offer both challenge and pleasure."

We sell our yarns, mitten kits, knitted things and my husband's photographs at the market Kauppatori in Helsinki. From the beginning of October until mid May my husband will be at the market only on Saturdays, unless the weather is very bad.